


A Girl Like That

by Gilberrts



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Reveal Fic, adrien is basically a lovesick pile a mush, let mari say fuck, not nearly enough puns, she pulls a die hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 06:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10299224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilberrts/pseuds/Gilberrts
Summary: Nobody understands responsibility like Marinette. After all, she watches over everyone in Paris as Ladybug. She also understands that her duty to protect others extends to her entire life, not just whenever she's jumping off the Eiffel Tower in a magical onesie.In which the mild-mannered alter ego of Ladybug isn't mild in the slightest.





	

“Marinette, can you run the register for a bit?”

 

“Maman, I've got school soon!”

 

“Just for a second, I only need to decorate these opera cakes!” Her mother was already back in the kitchen before she could protest, so Marinette simply sighed and put her bag down.

 

The line of early morning commuters was long, but went fairly quickly, as most only wanted a pastry and a cup of coffee. It was barely 7:30 and already the tip jar was overflowing. It was almost comical watching half-asleep adults mumble their orders, then light up like a child on Christmas morning when handed their daily dose of liquid energy. Marinette didn't understand the appeal of the bitter drink, but was aware that she was in the minority of the adult population. At seventeen, Marinette was probably the only one of her peers that didn't drink coffee on a regular basis. Several customers later, she looked up from putting away money to Mme. Bustier’s face.

 

“Marinette, shouldn't you be getting to class?” Marinette smiled nervously. God, it was always so strange seeing teachers outside of school.

 

“I will, as soon as Maman finishes decorating the cakes. I might be a little late to class, though.”

 

“I can excuse a little tardiness, as long as it's related to familial obligations.” Mme. Bustier smiled as Marinette’s face lit up in relief.

 

“Thank you so much! And what would you like?”

 

Before her teacher could open her mouth, an exceedingly tall man in a suit pushed in front of the line, adjusting his tie as he did so.

 

“I need the largest cup of coffee you sell and a croissant.”

 

“Then I suggest you get to the back of the line,” said Marinette flatly.

 

“I'm running late to give an important presentation.” The man was already turning red with embarrassment and rage and Marinette sighed. He didn't seem like someone used to not getting his way, and she doubted he would give up without a fuss.

 

“Then you can either wait in line or make it to the meeting on time. Decide quickly, people are busy.”

 

“I can't give the presentation without caffeine!”

 

“You seem to be arguing with me just fine without it. I think you'll manage.” Marinette noticed a woman in a pantsuit with a red streak in her hair staring at her with undisguised admiration from the back of the line.

 

“I  _ demand _ to see your manager.” The man was practically quaking with rage, and Marinette hoped he would give up soon before everyone else got upset. Her parents were busy in the back, and going to get them to sort things out would just hold up the line even more, so she decided to stretch the truth a little bit.

 

“Do you know the name of this bakery?”

 

“It's the Dupain-something or another, it doesn't matter.”

 

“This is the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I will not prioritize you over other customers simply because you throw a fit.”

 

The man’s eyes went wide as he assumed she was the owner of the bakery. He's wrong, of course, but it's not like Marinette explicitly lied to him. The man beat a hasty retreat, yelling something about leaving a bad online review as he rushed out the door.

 

Marinette finished her teacher’s order just as her mother came out of the kitchen to put the cakes in the display case. Looks like she won't be late to school for once.

 

____

 

“Nathalie, I don't see why I couldn't go inside to get the coffee.” The whole reason Adrien had wanted to get coffee here was so he could wait inside and possibly talk to Marinette. That, and the homemade croissants.

 

“It was far too busy, and you would've only made the lobby more crowded.” Nathalie handed him his coffee, then hesitated, as if debating whether or not to say something.

 

“You're friends with their daughter, right?”

 

Adrien flushed, worried that his real motives had become apparent. His perfectly friendly and strictly platonic motives.

 

“Y-yeah, I've known her ever since I started going to school.”

 

Nathalie gave a rare smile.

 

“Stay close to her. After all, it’s not everyday you meet a girl like that.”

 

Adrien nodded, too stupefied by Nathalie’s uncharacteristic remark to respond in any other way. What the hell did Nathalie mean by that? 

 

“Your father will be furious with me for taking you there. The line was so long that you'll be almost five minutes late.” With that, Nathalie seemed back to normal. Cold, precise, and professional.

 

At least he'd had coffee to wake him up this morning. After a long night patrolling the city as Chat Noir, he was running on caffeine and no sleep whatsoever.

 

____

 

They were only fifteen minutes into class when an akuma attacked. The windows on the right side of the room were broken in a hail of glass, and Marinette rolled her eyes as she prepared to fight whoever Chloe had hurt this time. That was normally how it went with these things. However, this time the Akuma was a tall man in a pinstriped suit in a garish shade of red floating above the ground. His strangest features were the bags and dark circles under his eyes, making it look as if he'd gotten punched in the face twice. He looked diseased, like he had pushed his body too far and now it was giving up the ghost.

 

In one hand was a coffee pot, and he stopped to adjust his tie. Marinette felt her blood boil in her veins as she recognized him. Seriously, what kind of person got akumatized over a cup of coffee?

 

“Where is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” He sounded almost exactly like a french-speaking Wicked Witch of the West, funnily enough. Nobody in the classroom found this funny at the time, though.

 

Before Chloe even had the chance to point at her, Marinette got up and stalked to the center of the room.

 

“You got a fucking problem?” 

 

If Marinette had been watching, she would have seen every eye in the classroom turn to her in shock. Marinette  _ never _ swore in class. The only one who had ever heard her drop the f-bomb was Alya, who was also shocked, but for another reason. Alya knew Marinette only ever swore when she was really, really pissed. 

 

Marinette was fucking furious. This asshole may have been corrupted by Hawkmoth, but he was still disrupting school and threatening her friends.

 

“You humiliated me, you little bitch!”

 

“You deserved it! You are not entitled to preferential treatment over others!” Marinette knew that arguing with an akuma was an exercise in futility, but she was so angry she didn't care.

 

“You denied me coffee, so after I get my revenge on you, no one will ever derive energy from caffeine again.” 

 

Marinette ignored this meaningless word salad of a threat as she turned to the class, who had all been paralyzed by shock.

 

“Evacuate the classroom immediately!” No one moved, until Alya pointed behind Marinette.

 

“Watch out!”

 

Marinette jumped forward and narrowly avoided the stream of liquid the akuma poured out of the coffee pot. At first, the brown puddle on the floor looked like coffee, until it started smoking and melting the linoleum floor.

 

“That's sweet. It almost makes me believe a little piece of shit like you could care about other people.”

 

“Oh, shut up!” 

 

Marinette couldn't transform, she had no weapons, and Chat Noir hadn't shown up yet. Her only assets were her enhanced strength and a really heavy chair, which flew beautifully through the air and hit the akuma directly in the chest. While their attacker was momentarily stunned, Kim turned to her.

 

“Marinette, what do we do?” He had moved beside her, as if to fight along with her. Marinette had already decided that under no circumstances would her classmates be fighting the akuma. Even without the mask, it would always be her job to protect them, not the other way around.

 

“All of you will evacuate the classroom and wait for Chat Noir and Ladybug. I'll keep him in this room.”

 

The entire class stared at her in abject horror. Marinette didn't notice, as she was busy advancing on the akuma, waiting for it to attack again.

 

“We can't just leave you here!”

 

“You can and you will.” Her voice was steely, leaving no room for argument.

 

“But-” The akuma moved again and Marinette ducked to avoid the stream of acid that the akuma had splashed across the room. Kim had not been as lucky, as a few droplets had landed on his exposed forearm. He howled in pain as his arm smoked, and Max rushed to his side. Marinette felt sick knowing that one of her friends had been hurt because of her, but she crushed the guilt that threatened to paralyzed her. She could beat herself up over this after everyone was evacuated. Breaking down and crying now wouldn't help anyone. She picked up another chair and waited for the akuma to come within throwing range.

 

“If all of you motherfuckers don't evacuate this goddamn classroom in five fucking seconds, I will personally drop kick you into the Seine, one by one.” 

 

The low, hard edge of her voice broke the spell. Chloe and Sabrina were the first ones to rush out the door, but Adrien had to shove Nino and Alya out of the classroom, until he was the only one left.

 

“Marinette, I'm not leaving you here!”

 

Marinette growled in frustration and hurled the chair at the akuma, slamming him against the whiteboard. She didn't have time for this. She needed to transform  _ now _ . So she did what any other superhero in crisis would do, which is heft her crush onto her shoulders and toss him bodily into the hallway. When she heard him hit the lockers on the far side of the hall, Marinette slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.

 

“Stop moving, you little shitstain!” This time Marinette barely dodged the corrosive liquid, and she felt her forearm bubbling where it had splashed her. Biting down a scream of pain, she dived behind her desk, trying to formulate a plan.

 

She hated this. Without her lucky charm or her yo-yo, she had been reduced to throwing heavy projectiles and sloppy evasive maneuvers. She liked to think that her plans were usually more elegant than this. Even now, she couldn't transform, knowing Hawkmoth was watching her through the eyes of his akuma. She glanced around and decided to buy herself a couple seconds.

 

“What the fuck kinda genius name did Hawkmoth come up with for you? Morning Joe?” The akuma screeched in indignation. On some level, Marinette agreed with the sentiment. She was hardly coming up with astoundingly witty banter this morning.

 

“My name is The Decaffeinator!” Marinette spotted the broken window and decided to do something very, very dumb. She picked up her history textbook and threw it at her enemy like a frisbee. It only clipped his shoulder, but she was already halfway across the room before he recovered.

 

“I will destroy you!”

 

“Then come and get me, you big bag of dicks!” 

 

And with that, she vaulted out of the broken window. She cut her palms badly on the glass shards spread across the window sill, but hardly noticed. After all, she had just jumped out of a second story window with no plan on how to land. Broken glass wasn't exactly one of her priorities in that moment. Luckily, she hit some bushes and remembered to roll on impact to absorb the shock. Above her, Decaffeinator made for the street, assuming that was where she had run. What a dumbass. 

 

Her relief was cut short by a burning pain between her shoulder blades and the horrifying smell of burning fabric and meat. The akuma must have hit her with acid before she was completely out of the window. She tore off her jacket, but the stench of her own flesh cooking remained. She glanced down at the smoldering cloth in her hand. Damn. She'd really liked that jacket.

 

“Tikki, spots on.” The transformation melted over her, temporarily relieving her pain. Marinette sighed, knowing that once the transformation released the pain would hit her again, all at once.

 

_____

 

Adrien had barely run to the end of the hall and mostly out of sight before transforming into Chat Noir. His classmates stood aside as he knocked down the door, his heart hammering in his chest. Akumas weren't normally this violent. Usually, their attacks temporarily turned people into trees, or some shit like that, not melt their fucking faces off. 

 

Adrien didn't know what to expect when the door finally came off its hinges, but it wasn't an empty, destroyed classroom.

 

“Shit.” Adrien pushed his clawed hands into his hair and surveyed the room. Chairs were strewn everywhere, part of Chloe’s desk was melted, and fresh blood was smeared on the window sill. It was a gruesome scene, but it gave Adrien hope. Marinette’s body was nowhere to be found, so she must be alive. 

 

He already had one foot out the window to follow when Alya seized his wrist in a vice like grip. Her face was stained with tears, but her eyes were hard as steel.

 

“If you don't save her, I will find you, whoever you are when you aren't parading around Paris in your underwear, and I will make your life a living hell. Believe me when I say that there is nowhere on God’s green earth that you can be safe from my wrath. I. Can't. Lose. Her.”

 

_ Neither can I _ , thought Adrien, but he pushed that thought down.

 

“I won't let him hurt her.” Alya searched his eyes for any hint of uncertainty. Satisfied, she nodded and released his wrist. 

 

The first thing he noticed upon hitting the ground was a horrible smell, halfway between bleach fumes and burnt meat. He picked up the smoking fabric and felt his stomach drop. Marinette’s jacket was falling apart in his hands, an enormous hole melted through the back of it. He wanted to cry, but he pushed down the urge in favor of taking to the rooftops for a better view. Only a few streets away, he spotted the thin, almost skeletal akuma, accompanied by the familiar red blur of his lady.

 

“I see you've decided to join the party,  _ chaton _ .” Normally, Adrien would've preened at the use of the nickname, but he barely noticed.

 

“He was after a girl. He took her from her classroom, but I didn't see what happened next.” His anxiety that had been relieved upon seeing his partner had come back in full force, making him stutter and tug on his hair.

 

“Chat, calm down. Marinette is safe at her school with friends, so just focus on taking out the akuma.” Her soft, steady voice pulled him out of his swirling thoughts, grounded him in reality, and pushed him into action.

 

He was distracted for the rest of the fight, but not even his mediocre performance could throw his lady off her game. The akuma could reverse the effects of caffeine, but this didn't create widespread destruction, only a bunch of grumpy and sluggish commuters, as well as several caffeine withdrawal headaches. At one point, Ladybug was hit with the akuma’s powers, but didn't slow down as she delivered a roundhouse kick to the face. Adrien assumed this was due to the magical intervention of the suit, making them immune. This hypothesis was proven wrong thirty seconds later when he was hit with the same attack, and felt like someone was trying to split open his skull with a very dull machete. Dimly, he remembered that caffeine withdrawal was a recognized disorder catalogued in the DSM-5, and finally understood why.

 

Luckily, Ladybug swiftly smashed the coffee pot only a few seconds later, returning him to normal. The lucky charm restored everyone else to their normal energy levels and removed all traces of acid on the street with ease. 

 

“My lady! It's good to see you. I'll have you know, I've  _ bean _ missing you a  _ latte _ .” 

 

“Ah, so now the puns are back. I was wondering why they were gone today,” she said, smiling. Adrien winced. He hadn't realized it had been quite so obvious that he wasn't himself today.

 

“And here to stay,” he replied, and bowed low. His lady smiled, then swung away as soon as her earrings beeped. 

 

Usually, Adrien was sad to see her go, but today he was anxious to go find Marinette. He barely took the time to detransform before racing back to school. Halfway up the steps, he saw her out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Marinette!” She turned to him in surprise and waved. She looked incredibly tired, but her expression turned to shock as ran towards her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug, using his forward momentum to lift her off the ground and spin her in a circle.

 

“What are you so excited about?” Her face was flushed with surprise and confusion.

 

“Are you kidding? I was terrified for you!”

 

Marinette flushed a deeper shade of pink and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

 

“I was never in any real danger. Ladybug took me somewhere safe almost immediately after I locked the classroom door.”

 

“That's weird, because she told me you were already inside the school with everyone else.” Belatedly, Adrien wished he had a better brain to mouth filter. Marinette's eyes were huge and unblinking as she stared at him and through him. He realized that Ladybug hadn't told Adrien that at all, and had only talked to Chat. Still, Marinette wouldn't know that, unless she…

 

Oh.

 

Silently, he pulled open his jacket. Helpfully, Plagg waved from the inside pocket, and Marinette waved back. In return, Marinette wordlessly opened her purse, revealing a pink kwami with spots that looked absolutely nothing like a ladybug. There was a long silence before Adrien took a deep breath.

 

“I'm-”

 

“Marinette, you crazy son of a bitch!” Alya tackled Marinette with a hug as she barreled down the steps, before pulling back to give the lecture of a lifetime. 

 

“What the fuck were you thinking, Marinette? You could've fucking died!”

 

“It wasn't that big a deal,” murmured Marinette.

 

“Yes it fucking was! You're important to me, you piece of shit! And I don't know what the fuck I would do with myself if you got hurt!” Alya’s tears were falling freely now, soaking her face and running down her neck.

 

“I'm so sorry,” whispered Marinette, as she pulled Alya into a fierce embrace. Adrien looked away, feeling like he was intruding on something intensely intimate even as it happened in a public space. However, his attempt at politeness came to an abrupt end when Marinette turned around.

 

“Marinette, your back!”

 

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” She shrugged, as if she might have a chance of passing her injuries off as mild. Alya stood by Adrien and stared at Marinette's back. Parts of her shirt were eaten through and torn, revealing large patches of mottled red flesh, blisters, and blood seeping through the skin.

 

“How the fuck-” 

 

Marinette spun around to cut Alya off before a fresh round of angry sobbing could begin. 

 

“It's not that big a deal, Alya. I just got splashed with a little acid when I jumped out the window,” she said, looking deeply uncomfortable with causing her friend's’ distress.

 

“You jumped out the window?”  Marinette flinched when she realized how bad she had made it sound, and held up her hands in a placating gesture. Unfortunately, this only served to provide Alya with an unobstructed view of the bloody lacerations on her palms. Alya studied her shredded hands, seized her wrists and fixed Marinette with an uncompromising stare.

 

“We are taking you to the hospital right now, and there will be no discussion.” Marinette nodded weakly.

 

“Alya, you go tell everyone Marinette's okay, I'll call the Gorilla. He can be here faster than an ambulance.” Alya nodded and rushed away into the school. After she was safely out of earshot, Adrien turned to Marinette.

 

“I don't know how to put this, but I'm glad it's you.”

 

“You're not disappointed?” 

 

“Disappointed? How could I be disappointed that my amazing and gorgeous partner, Ladybug, also happens to be my incredibly beautiful and talented friend, Marinette?” She laughed, put at ease by the extreme use of Chat Noir flattery.

 

“Are you going to be this ridiculous all the time now?”

 

“Just you wait, I haven't even gotten started on the cat puns that I get to make 24/7 now.”

 

“I don't think anyone else will appreciate the wordplay.”

 

“That's alright. As long as my lady listens to me, I'll be  _ feline _ just fine.”

 

Marinette gave an exaggerated sigh. “This sounds like the beginning of a  _ cat _ -astrophe.”

 

Adrien grinned wide. “Looks like I'm rubbing off on you, bugaboo.”

 

“I hope not,” said Marinette, rolling her eyes.

 

“Adrien, have you called the Gorilla yet?” Adrien whirled to face Alya as she approached. His face burned red as he remembered the one task he had given himself.

 

“Um,” he said.

 

“Dammit Adrien! You had one job!” Alya threw her hands up in the air as Adrien frantically dialed the number. While the phone rang, Alya narrowed her eyes at Marinette.

 

“Did something happen between you and Adrien? You guys are acting different,” she stage-whispered to her friend.

 

“Nothing bad. Just different.”

 

“You sure?” Marinette subtly made eye contact with Adrien, making sure that he was listening.

 

“Trust me. Everything is going  _ purr _ -fectly,” she said, as she gave a not-at-all-subtle wink to Adrien. He could feel his face split open in a grin, and barely remembered to speak when the Gorilla answered the phone. 

 

He hung up as soon as the exchange ended, and the shock of today's revelations hit him in full. 

 

He had pushed down his love for Ladybug for the past three years because they had decided to keep their identities secret. He had hidden the sincerity of his affections behind flirtation and bravado because his lady was an unattainable mystery. And yet, she had always been the person who knew him best, made him feel like he belonged, made him feel alive. How could he ever get over a crush on a girl like that? 

And now, Marinette was here, and she was the kind of person that would fight a supervillain as a powerless civilian, and do everything in her power to keep her friends safe. She was some kind of mythical girl that made her own clothes and the only person he had ever met that managed to keep Chloe in check. She was sweet, beautiful, and amazing all the time, mask or not.

 

Adrien realized in a split second that he was completely and utterly screwed. After all, who could ever hope to stop loving a girl like that?

**Author's Note:**

> Coffee is fairly acidic. Not melt-your-fuckin'-face-off acidic, but it does cause heartburn and other problems in the upper GI tract.
> 
> I am sick of looking at this thing, so I left it here for your mild, fleeting enjoyment.


End file.
